At 11:05 a.m., United States District Judge Leonard Wexler completed his instructions to the jury in the Federal Court Building in Brooklyn as Ernie Cobb awaited his . They made a mistake and we all mess up but its too bad they tossed away a great college basketball experience. But I wasnt sure if I was really up to B.C. Tell me what you did and what you didnt do. When Henry Hill started threatening Kuhn and Sweeney, promising that they couldnt play with broken limbs, the players, according to Hill, claimed that they were doing their best, but the scheme would never work unless Ernie Cobb was in on the fix. Hill also named former BC athletes Ernie Cobb and James Sweeney as participants in the scandal. August 31, Were really happy with it. But there was one obstacle that hed have to confront head-on. To this day, both Sweeney and Cobb admit taking money but say they didn't really participate. My parents have suffered. A wake will be held for Dr. Cobb-Stevens on Monday, July 16, from 4-7 p.m. at the Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Home, 475 Main . He killed people. But changing his behaviors did not happen overnight. Cobb didn't get those years back, but neither did he seek redemption for his past. He spent countless in the gym, practicing his basketball skills, replaying a very hurtful experience over and over in his mind, from when he was cut from his junior high school basketball team back in Stamford. We get home, I open it up, and theres $1,000 in there.. When he arrived on campus in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, Cobbs internal mantra was, I gotta stay eligible. With those persistent affirmations dancing through his mind, he took his academic responsibilities seriously from day one. At trial in 1981, the government's case consisted primarily of the testimony . Just by being there, Id already reached success beyond my wildest dreams. And as black kids who loved ball in Boston, he represented something for us, giving the younger generation something to aspire toin terms of their basketball skillsbecause he was putting in some serious work.. I felt like, You put my name out there, so let me clear my name! When they investigated me, I told them straight up about the $1,000 that Rocco Perla had given me. And in that article in Sports Illustrated, Henry Hill says, The word came back that Cobb was enthusiastic. The key phrase there is The word came back. I dont know what Rick Kuhn was telling Henry Hill or the Perla brothers. I was lightning quick, could run up and down, go left or right and could score from anywhere on the floor., He was breaking every record you could think of and by his junior year, people were saying, Whoa! A social worker at the facility, who took notice of Ernies work ethic and burgeoning athletic potential, contacted Herm Alswanger, the varsity basketball coach at Stamford High School, where the youngster would soon enroll upon his release from Meriden. I was a senior in high school when Ernie Cobb was a senior at Boston College and Id heard that he was a very good player, said Lemuel Mills, a Boston area hoops aficionado, coach, community mentor and historian. It was the streets.. Other notable players selected in that draft included Sidney Moncrief, Bill Laimbeer, Bill Cartwright, Mark Eaton and Jim Paxson. Its something that hes still waiting for, to this day. I had my own place to live and all the food I wanted to eat. I thought he might have been a student, because he was young and I saw him hanging around Rick Kuhn all the time. . He recently earned his Masters Degree in Education and is currently considering pursuing a Ph.D. I feel like Ive led a remarkable life, he said. It all seemed like a fairytale, until he was indicted for allegedly fixing college basketball games for the mob. Here was someone who believed in him, someone who was willing to work with him and teach him about this game of basketball, which he loved more than anything. Location unknown)Boston College's Ernie Cobb pulls down a rebound off his own shot against Holy Cross's Leo Kane during a men's college basketball. I was like, You gotta be kidding me! Jim Sweeney and Rick Kuhns names werent mentioned anywhere. Not long after that, I was playing Pop Warner football and needed a mouthpiece. As a matter of fact, one thing Im really happy with in this film, is we really did get to everybody, Lavine said. I was nervous because I didnt know what was going to happen. He is a friend who has quietly built a considerable reputation within college basketball for honesty and tactical brilliance but who now is living the horror every coach dreads most -- a point . Most people may conjure up nightmarish images while trying to imagine being incarcerated at such an early age, butErnie's experience wasquite the opposite. On the stand during the trial, Rick Kuhns girlfriend, Barbara Reed, with whom he shared an apartment during his senior year at Boston College, testified that she overheard Kuhn and Sweeney discussing the Fordham game, saying that they had to keep the ball away from Cobb because he shot the ball all the time. I felt bad for my mom, he said. Cobb insisted on having his day in court, of clearing his name. By my junior year, it was show-time, said Cobb. Theyre no match for us. He told me, Well good, I plan on betting on those games and if you guys win and it turns out like that, Ill take care of you., Man, I was one of the most recognizable athletes on campus and people would come up and talk to me all the time, people I didnt know, Cobb continued. Select the second team from the drop down menu. She was a miracle worker. Things that happened to me and my siblings, it wasnt her fault. With Roccos high school buddy Rick Kuhn entering his senior year at Boston College, where he was expected to be a contributor to the schools basketball team, the brothers figured they could make a ton of money. Thats the real strength of his story, that you pick yourself up and make something of yourself.. We lived in dormitories. Cobb just wanted to live his life and do what he did best: play ball. The point-shaving allegations surfaced during an unrelated investigation into the 1978 theft of $5.8 million from the Lufthansa cargo terminal at New Yorks Kennedy Airport. I never got to realize my dream of playing in the NBA, but Ive been all over the globe and have experienced so many different and beautiful cultures. Eventually, he became a part of my own family and spent a lot of time over at our house. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. We had a good old time. And he also cultivated interest, in the area's black community, in terms of being engaged and intrigued bywhat was going on with Boston Colleges basketball program. I went into that same Caldors and got arrested again for stealing one.. Will I ever totally leave Boston College? Thats the story chronicled by the latest edition of ESPNs 30 for 30 documentary series, Playing for the Mob, which premieres Tuesday night at 9 p.m. Boston College (1978-79) Conspirators paid Boston College players, mainly Rick Kuhn and Jim Sweeney, to shave points depending on the spread and opponent. After the investigation was completed, Cobb was not named as a defendant in the initial trial, U.S. vs Burke, which opened to a circus of media attention on October 27th, 1981. Ernie, and anybody who truly knew him, who knew about his character and what type of young man he was, we were all heartbroken. It wasnt until I actually saw him play that I realized how special he was as an offensive talent. The reality is there are only four real contenders. It's been more than 30 years since the . The distinguished paper later retracted the story. like that until he got there. The day I got to Stamford High School, Coach Alswanger was there waiting for me. Ernie Cobb, the star of the Boston College basketball team in the 1978-79 season, was found not guilty yesterday of charges that he joined a game- rigging conspiracy to benefit gamblers that season. UCONN brought in the Governor, judges, you name it., When the letters started coming in, I realized that I had a chance to go to college, said Cobb. Cobb internalized the subtle looks from his new teachers and administrators, the ones his young mind translated to mean, We dont want you here. He no longer felt encouraged in his new classroom environment, and sensed the sting of judgmental eyes when his hyper personality and wandering mind attracted the attention of adult authority figures. Sometimes, B.C. I did everything I needed to do in terms of having the grades and the standardized test scores to get in. I was this poor kid with no financial resources, going on trial with a member of the mob. These Boston College basketball players were way better than being involved with "Goodfella" Henry Hill and his underworld associates. As for his role in what happened, Sweeney says hes never run from the truth. He worked hard in class. Data Provided By I was reading about the Boston College point-shaving scandal of the late 70s and I was wondering whatever became of Rick Kuhn in his later life. Until of course, he was caught and arrested for stealing one. and I were the victims of the same circumstances that were beyond our control. And he always managed to be seen cruising around his neighborhood with a new, expensive one. Masters Degree in Education. He recruited teammates Ernie Cobb and Jim Sweeney into the ring, after becoming connected with ex-convicts Paul Mazzei and Henry Hill. There was no getting around that. By his sophomore year, he was a starter on the varsity and an All-League selection. On October 7, ESPN will air the latest installment of its acclaimed "30 For 30" series with a look back at the infamous Boston College basketball point shaving scandal from the 1978-79 season . I got to know him really well. We werent locked in individual cells. Johnny Bench is a former MLB catcher who played for the Cincinnati Reds from 1967 to 1983. In the 1979 NBA Draft, Magic Johnson was the first overall pick of the Los Angeles Lakersafter leading Michigan State University to the National Championship over Larry Birds Indiana State team. Bowies reputation was immediately sullied and he subsequently lost his job playing pro ball in Europe when the story broke. How much his positive life trajectory was propelled by it? Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. 1956 And now, here I was on that same floor, pumped sky high, giving my defender buckets! NCAA. To believe that any of 2023's neo-contenders can become bonafide champs over the next few months is to believe that a once-in-a-quarter-century occurrence is about to transpire. When he first stepped on the hallowed parquet floor at the legendary Boston Garden, where B.C. These people [in the mob] get glamorized or sensationalized, Sweeney said. All of Henry Hills and the Perla brothers information was coming from Rick Kuhn, and who knows what he was saying to them to cover his own skin., (Jim Sweeney, Photo Credit: tampabay.com), Kuhn and Sweeney got in over their heads, Cobb continued. Did Uncle Neely Forget Which Side He Plays For? Perla and Kuhn had gone to high school together and were good friends. The story: Three Boston College players leading scorer Ernie Cobb, forward Richard Kuhn and Sweeney, the team's point guard were fingered by Hill for participating in the point-shaving scheme. Coach Alswanger, I have a confession to make, Ernie told the man sitting across from him. Boston College Guard and former Stamfod High School standout Ernie Cobb drives past St. John's Frank Alagia during a game in 1976. Rocco and Tony Perla were giving money to Rick Kuhn. We publish narratives intentionally and specifically to enlighten and transform the world. Ernie Cobb, 24, 5'11", 180-pound star of the team, from Stamford, Conn. Cobb had been a prolific shooting guard at Boston College in the late 1970s, a team captain whod etched his name into the schools record books as its third-leading career scorer. Acompanhe-nos: bonsall oaks development Facebook. And I dont think it ever stayed with me.. Follow him on Twitter @jack_mccluskey. Tools and Resources Used by Real General Managers. She knew the terrain in terms of what I needed to be doing, said Cobb. College: Boston College. Near the Boston College campus, he had a flat tire. There were a lot of rich kids who went to Boston College. They were so many activities and all this food. I didnt think anything of it. Utah Jazz, 6th round (1st pick, 109th overall), 1979 NBA Draft, More Ernie Cobb pages at Sports Reference, More Ernie Cobb Basketball Reference pages. Weight: 238. would play a few games each year, Cobb was awash with emotions. I was mesmerized.. I wanted my name cleared and it took a long time.. He doesnt belong here and I think he can really make something of himself if somebody gives him a chance.. The phone calls flooded in from his friends and family in Boston and Connecticut, with despaired voices on the other end asking, Did you do this? Boston College Accused of Point Shaving, was the big headline on the UPI wire. Being at Boston College, when I first got there, was so amazing, said Cobb. If you missed Part I, you can read it here. I was having a lot of success, we were turning around the fortunes of the program and I was getting a lot of press in the Boston Globe and area newspapers. And he was all about the team and winning, despite the fact that he was an offensive machine. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? After the four-week trial in 1981, Jimmy Burke was sentenced to 20 years in prison, while Paul Mazzei and Tony Perla were sentenced to ten. Over one hundred schools tried to recruit the 5-foot-11 marksman, including UCLA and Kentucky. During his court hearing, the judge sentenced him to a six-month sentence in the Meriden Juvenile Detention Facility. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. I was focused in the moment. It was a tragedy that he never got another chance to play in the NBA., Kevin Loughery never gave me a firm reason why the Nets were letting me go, said Cobb. He sat me down in his office and we talked., (Stamford High School, Photo Credit: thesteelrailsadvocate.com), The social worker told me that Ernie didnt belong up there in that juvenile detention facility, said Alswanger. He craved to clear his name once and for all. His only response was an indication that the investigation was being continued. The Shadow League is a narrative company. It was a loving, nurturing environment. I admitted to receiving that money, and spending it. He tried to subsist as a substitute teacher, and even caddied at the Fairview Country Club in Greenwich, Connecticut, the affluent suburbs where hed previously been arrested for stealing bikes as a kid. Everything Id worked so hard for was coming to fruition.. We werent really checking for B.C. The game had saved his life, delivered him from peril, from a path leading nowhere, from dysfunction and illiteracy, to an elite college education and a shot at the NBA and a better future. That fascination only increased when the mobster who fingered Sweeney hit the big screen years later in Martin Scorseses Goodfellas., Every year I would pitch this story, Lavine said. Its one of several seeming contradictions the gangster-turned-informant offers during the film, right along with this doozy early on: I didnt threaten him or nothin, Hill says in the film, I just said, Its hard to play basketball with a broken arm.. But before he stepped foot on campus for his freshman year to chase a new set of goals, he was hesitant, apprehensive and somewhat scared. Every accomplishment made me want to work harder. His mother, Hattie, worked as a domestic and struggled to provide for her four children. He had this unbelievable desire to succeed and you could tell that he wasnt going to let anything stand in his way.. Its something that hes still waiting for, to this day. Jim Sweeney and Ernie Cobb) were brought to trial for point-shaving during the '78- '79 season. At 11:05 a.m., U.S. District Judge Leonard Wexler completed his instructions to the jury in the Federal Court Building in Brooklyn as Ernie Cobb awaited his judgment. Couldnt people see how much he loved the game? I was so thankful, and was willing to work as hard as I possibly could, both in my studies, and in basketball, to be able to get the most I could out of the experience.. He wanted to win every foot race, every pickup game of basketball and sandlot football, or any other endeavor that ended with a final score and winning result. So I guess the thought process was, Well, if there were criminal activities going on, it had to be the brothers! My name and picture, and Michael Bowies as well, was on the front page of every newspaper in the country.. Contribute to The Shadow League today and help us share our narratives. Select the third team from the drop down menu. We might have worn the hand-me-downs of the families that she worked for, but we always had clean clothes. . The headlines in Boston, and around the country, said that Cobb and fellow senior Michael Bowie, the teams two African-American stars, were the players that were implicated. He just loves to play basketball. It was a beautiful place, way out there in upstate Connecticut, where they treated us well. hoops that blazed a trail, Mills continued. When he finished with his testimony, he made a beeline straight for the restroom. But by the next summer, in 1980, he sparkled while playing for the New Jersey Nets during the pre-season. Detroit Mercys Antoine Davis Creeping Up On Pistol Pete Maravichs All-Time NCAA Scoring Mark, A Poor Mans Danny Ainge A Poor Mans Jeff Hornacek: Michael Cooper Torches JJ Redick, I Guard 1 Through 5 | Heats Bam Adebayo Believes He Is NBAs Best Defender And Has Been The Past Two Years. Front page of every newspaper in the country Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data you... 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